Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Ireland is committed, through the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2021, to achieving a climate-neutral economy no later than 2050. My Department and Fáilte Ireland have been undertaking important work to ensure that tourism plays its part in achieving our climate targets.

In 2023 I secured additional funding of €3 million for Fáilte Ireland to continue its work in supporting tourism businesses to embrace sustainability. Fáilte Ireland has undertaken a collaborative approach with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), Uisce Éireann and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that tourism businesses are fully briefed and aware of the initiatives and practical supports that are available from different sources.

I have met with the SEAI and emphasised the willingness of the tourism sector to play its part in reducing emissions and achieving our climate action goals. The SEAI has a range of funding measures that are of relevance to the tourism sector and these include, inter alia, a support scheme for energy audits, financial supports towards the installation of heat pumps or biomass/biogas boilers and CHP units, and grant supports towards the purchase of new N1 (light commercial vehicle) category electric vehicles

Fáilte Ireland is actively working with the tourism sector to ensure that its businesses are fully briefed on climate action and on the benefits of sustainability actions to their businesses, including reducing their carbon footprint and operational costs. In this context I was particularly pleased to launch, in November 2022, Fáilte Ireland 's Climate Action roadmap which includes a set of eight guides on climate action tailored for tourism businesses. The guides introduce key areas defining the climate impact and carbon footprint of businesses.

The work that Fáilte Ireland has advanced supports evidenced-based decision-making for effective reduction of the tourism carbon footprint. Targeted at small and micro businesses, their easy-to-use ‘Climate Toolkit 4 Business’ helps businesses to understand their carbon fooprint and to generate a tailored climate action plan to achieve lower emissions.

In support of this work, Fáilte Ireland’s is dedicating, as part of its marketing plans for 2023, €500,000 to showcase best-in-class sustainable attractions, activity providers and tourism experiences.

I also want to highlight a number of sustainability initiatives across several of Fáilte Ireland’s strategic pillars including:

• an All-island partnership with Tourism Ireland and Tourism Northern Ireland to develop a Sustainability Certification Scheme for businesses;
• integration of tourism sustainability indicators in all new Destination Development Plans, and integration of sustainability learning into destination-based networks.
• publication of sustainable festival guidelines.

My Department and I will continue to engage with SEAI and other key partners to ensure that appropriate financial supports that target sustainability are available to tourism businesses.